I am a true food lover and I happen to be a vegetarian too. I want to share fun food facts and recipes with you and I love creating new recipes. I enjoy knowing about what I put into my body each day. The food that fuels my life is amazing.
I hope I can convince you that food isn't just something you have to eat everyday. It's fun too!
If you ever want a recipe... EMAIL ME

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Since I just made the fresh pea soup I thought this would be a good item of the dayI got a comment from KleoPatra asking what the difference between split pea soup is and my soup. After researching, the only difference I could find was that split pea soup is made with dried peas. Is that right guys?

ok Pea-wee Facts : )

Fresh peas are often boiled with spearamint . (I've never had that but am curious what to tastes like)

The pea became so ingrained into the everyday existence of so many cultures from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, Europe, and Asia that the name appeared as part of other legumes such as pigeon peas, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, chick-peas, capucin peas, and peanut. (source)

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Here's the recipe for the pea soup I made last nightI never liked pea soup until I had this one! It's probably b/c it doesn't use split peas

But FIRST...Pictures of the kitty that hangs out around my house

Her official name is "KITTY". Gorgeous huh? : )

This is how she sits when I'm blogging. (It's in my Ikea desk)

Recipe

IngredientsAbout 1 lb of Either fresh or frozen peas1 Leek1 Shallot about 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil (actually TraderJoes had frozen cubes of basil that work GREAT if you can't get fresh basil)Salt and pepper to taste.

InstructionsFirst clean the Leeks (refer to my post on Leeks if you need any pointers)Chop shallotCombine leeks and shallots in frying pan (medium heat) with oil until veggies become translucent. Add basilWhile those are cooking- cook your peas as you normally wouldDrain peas and put into pan with the leek mixture (just so the flavors blend together a bit.)Add half of the mixture into a blender of food processor and blend till and large chunks are gone.Repeat with the second half of the mixture.I like to add a little splash soy milk while I'm blending too.Put it all in a bowl (reheat if necessary)Enjoy!

You can strain it if you don't like chunky soup but I prefer the extra texture.

Let me know what you think. I'm trying to build a bunch of recipes so that eventually I can make a cookbook : )

Sunday, May 28, 2006

It is known by the native people (indigenas) as "içá-çai", which means "fruit that cries".

The legend of the fruit that cries:

There was an Amazon Indian girl named Iaca, whose father was the tribal chief. His tribe had grown so large that there wasn't enough food to go around. So, the chief decreed that all newborn babies must be killed. When Iaca, his own daughter, bore a child, the chief had his decree carried out. Iaca mourned her baby’s death alone in her hut for days. Then she thought she heard a baby crying. When she went outside in search of the baby, she saw a palm tree shooting up from the earth, covered in fruit. Full of despair, she lay down under the tree and died. The next day, the tribe found Iaca's body under the new tree. The tree's fruit satisfied their hunger and renewed their energy, and the chief lifted his harsh decree, declaring that the fruit would be named after his daughter ("Acai" is "Iaca" spelled backwards). With abundant food for all, the tribe grew and flourished.

There seems to be many health benefits from the Amazon fruit. Check them out Here

It's an Oprah website but it's got a good summary of what I've found online : )

I tried QUINOA for the first time last night and I have to say- it was good! (well better than good) As I ate I thought "this tastes like grain caviar". Looks like I'll be eating it again for sure

I didn't really use a recipe. I looked around at what I had and made it work. What I ended up eating was-Quinoa with sauteed leeks, black beans and fresh pearl tomatoes.YUM YUM YUM : )

What I love most about quinoa is that I can just throw it into my rice cooker and then when it's done mix it with all my other ingredients. Quick and simple.

For dessert I melted some semi sweet chocolate and dipped strawberries into it. However, I forgot to grease the plate or put down some plastic wrap so the dessert stuck to the plate- OPPS. It tasted devine though . Okay, I need to admit I added a SECRET ingredient to the chocolate to make it have a little something extra. (I don't know if anyone else would use it but it turned out great hehe: )) Not sure if Im going to announce the ingredient just yet though.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

I'm about to go out car shopping today with my parents. My mom wants a new, more fuel efficient car. We're thinking Toyota. I don't mind the car shopping b/c it's not me that has to purchase. No pressure hehe

Just wanted to share my breakfast with you first : )

Richard and I had Whole wheat bagels with cream cheese and avocado! I highly recommend the cream cheese and avocado combination. Tofutti makes GREAT cream cheese as well. Give it a shot and tell me how you like it : ). Enjoy more pics too!

Looks like it's a beautiful day out. Time to go enjoy the sun. See you soon

Friday, May 26, 2006

The Mango is a member of the cashew family of flowering plants; other species include the pistachio tree and poison ivy

Colour is not the best indicator of ripeness!! Squeeze the 'nose' of the fruit, if there is slight give then the mango is ripe.

The two most widely available varieties of Mango in the UK are 'Kent' - a green fruit with a red blush and a rich, sweet flavor and 'Keitt' - a green Mango with a non fibrous flesh and a mild, sweet flavor.

Richard and I were supposed to have "date night" tonight but turns out he has to work :(He works all weekend too. Oh well. I told Richard that when he gets home from work tomorrow I'm going to have a nice meal ready for us and we'll have a date at home. Any nice recipes I should try??

Tonight Cara's comming over again!

She's just picking up some fast food for us. It's my unhealthy night I guess. I'll still be working out tonight tho. Hope everyone has a fun night!

I took out the ice in this shake by freezing the fresh peaches over night. I felt like ice would water it down. It was GREAT. I just happened to have some extra frozen mango chunks in the freezer too. They aren't needed at all. Put just enough milk in to cover the fruit 3/4 of the way up. Blend to all together and enjoy.

The flesh is very low in calories (50 per 100 g edible portion), an excellent source of folic acid, high in fiber, contribute a fair amount of potassium, and small amounts of vitamin A to the diet, but are very low in sodium. (source)

They weigh 4-8 lbsSpaghetti Squash is related to the pumpkin. (source)

Hi everyoneOnly 2 1/2 more hours till I get to go home and start cooking. Why am I so excited? It's Richard's first meal with me now that he's moved in!! : )

I'll be sure to post pics of it

oh and can I just say that quitting working out for one month was a BAD idea. I went running last night and phew my legs have been complaining ALL day. Oh well, I love to run and as they say "no pain, no gain"

Miso soup and white rice make up the traditional Japanese breakfast, and so most Japanese people eat miso soup at least once a day.

How Miso was invented:

"In the days of the shogun, sieges of village keeps frequently dragged on for months or years. This was a technique to starve the samurai and peasants, to force their surrender. In one particularly long siege, someone noticed a horse eating fermented beans out of a barrel. The person thought, if it could sustain a horse, it could certainly do the same for a human. The people survived the siege and miso was born."

Last night's dinner with CaraSo i'm not the best photographer in the world- but you get the jest. and once i get a new camera taking pics should be much easier :)

Dumplings and soy sauce. I prefer to first boil my dumplings then put them in a frying pan for a couple of minutes to make them a little brown and crispy.

Since it was Cara's first night here, I thought I'd try and make a desert she'd like. She love chocolate and peanut buttner so I melted some semi sweet chocolate, added some peanut butter to the mix and poured in some Koala Crisps (organic puffed rice cereal). Put it all in the freezer for and hour and you have what I've dubbed "Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchies"

Not bad for winging it, if I do say so myself haha

okay. I'm going to go work out then come back and it'll be time for the "food item of the day"hmm I'm thinking some sort of grain?? we'll see : )

The phrase "you're a peach" came from the tradition of giving peaches to people you liked (source)

In Gaffney South Carolina there is a 7 TON peach shaped water tower!(source)

Am I a nerd because I kinda want to go there now?? hahahaha---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cara's over tonight!We're watching the basketball game. Well I'm blogging hahaDoes anyone have any peach recipe suggestions?I made dinner for us (I'll post pics later)Cara seemed to like it and that makes me happy b/c I don't want to be the only one that thinks I can cook haha

Simmer the orange juice over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Add the margarine until sauce takes on a gravy-like consistency (coat the back of your spoon with the sauce and drag your finger through it - if the finger trail stays, the sauce is thick enough). Add the peaches and cook until soft, about five minutes, depending on ripeness. Ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a few raspberries, and serve warm.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Hi guys. This weekend Im out of town because I me boyfriend and friends are graduating college!! It's going to be a lot of fun. I got this picture from my friend Cara's blog (dognabbit.com).The puppy's name is Emily. Cara's one of my friends that's graduating and I couldn't be happier for her! In fact I promised her some sweet potato fries haha

Since it's a weekend of celebrating I want to make everyone a celebritory cup-cakes

I'm thinking about giving this recipe from Vegweb.com a whirl. I'll let you know how they turn out.Hopefully like this!

Choc chip and Peanut butter cupcakes

cupcake: 1 cup of white flour 1/4 of a cup of wheat flour 1 cup of brown sugar 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce 1 1/8 cups of water 1/2 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract 1 tablespoon of white vinegar 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 of a cup of vegan chocolate chips 1/3 of a cup of cocoa powder filling: 2 or 3 pinches of salt 3/4 of a cup of reduced fat peanut butter 3/8 of a cup of powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together and then add them to the dry ones. Add the chocolate chips - they will sink. It is a good idea to use a 1/4 of a cup and scoop out the batter (make sure you get it from the bottom so that there are chocolate chips in it) and spoon it into FOIL muffin cups or a greased muffin pan. NOT PAPER! The cupcakes stick to them and you can not get them out unless you have magical powers. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

To make peanut butter filling: mix everything together. You should fill each cup cake with about (a little more) 1/2 of a tablespoon of it.

When cool enough to handle, cut out big holes in the top of the cupcakes and fill with peanut butter filling device. Spread it out a bit and put the big chunk of cake back on and press it down a wee bit.

When they are done, the chocolate chips all sink to the bottom and they are so good. I like to wait a little while after I stuff them so that the peanut butter food stuff somewhat melt a bit and it is not just like a glob of peanut butter that was put inside, but more like it spontaneously generated there. Also, I would recommend eating when they are cool because the chocolate chips get hard again and it adds a happy crunchy texture.(source)

With that I just want to let you know one fact about chocolate (believe me I DEFINATELY will be posting a whole blog on it!)

Because chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac, the Aztec Indian women were forbidden to eat it. (source)

Oh the interview yesterday!! It went very well. I think I interview well because I went to business school. I usually know what they'll ask. But perhaps I'm being a little to confident. Overall good tho. Like I said tho, it's not a big deal if the job falls threw b/c I have a job already! YAYY that makes me so happy.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Where I've had them: Thailand. Actually I've read that you can not buy them whole and fresh in the US because of fears of the asian fruit fly. It's every disappointing. So... Go to THAILAND or anywhere in the South Pacific actually. It's gorgeous.

How to eat them: See how the outside is DEEP purple? Yea, that stains like crazy. So much so that some hotels in the South Pacific ban you from eating them in their rooms. To eat you should use your hands and not a knife. It will tempting to use a knife b/c they appear to be hard- they aren't really though. Just use your thumbs and press gently until the skin cracks, then peal like an orange. The white flesh hide bitter seeds so be careful (source).

Tastes like I would say texture of a soft apple but more citrus-y.

Fruit Size- The of a small orange or a Tangerine.

Medical Uses in Asian Countries: For years it has been used as an antibotic and general stomach aideNow Western countries are studying the fruit to see it's reported affects on cancer and it's anti-inflammatory properties. (source)

Okay everyone needs to wish me luck. Tomorrow I have a job interview! : )I'm a little nervous but not as much as usual. I already have a job, when you're looking around and you don't NEED a job it's a lot lets nerve-racking

Either way, I'd love to do well because it would mean a 15% raise for me. That would be nice.Richards here, but in some sort of training for his new job so I don't get to see him. Oh well, he moves in next week.